ONE offers blues and rock and roll music on the sweltering banks of the Mississippi, the other specialises in fish and chips on the blustery promenade.
One welcomes thousands of tourists through the gates of Graceland, the other ushers its visitors into the Grand Pavilion.
It may seem like Elvis Presley is the only common link between Porthcawl and Memphis, Tennessee, but that could all be set to change if Porthcawl town council get their way.
After the recent success of the eighth annual Elvis Festival, the seaside town’s local authority is exploring the possibility of twinning Porthcawl with the home of the King.
Following an email sent to the council by an Elvis festival-goer sounding out the twinning idea, Deputy Mayor of Porthcawl Alana Davies has picked up the baton, pledging to do her upmost to get the left-field proposal off the ground.
She said: “I think it is a novel and quirky idea.
“The Elvis Festival has been brilliant for our town and this is a way of building on that.
“It is now up to us to pick this idea up and run with it.”
Peter Phillips, organiser of the annual Porthcawl Elvis Festival, said: “I have said for years that it should say ‘European Elvis capital’ on the sign into Porthcawl, but ‘Twinned with Memphis’ would be equally good.”
And it seems the idea is equally popular across the pond. Memphis resident Patsy Andersen, who is a lifelong Elvis enthusiast and worked at Elvis’ home Graceland for 22 years, made the 8,000-mile round trip to take in the Porthcawl festival in 2003.
Speaking from Memphis, she said: “Memphis is a happening town filled with lots of music and even more hospitality – just like Porthcawl.
“The people there are so friendly and accommodating that all visitors have to be impressed, which is very much like the city of Memphis.
“Then you have the common connection of Elvis and that makes a winning combination from my view point.
“Twinning the two cities would be an excellent idea for Memphis and Porthcawl. Two outstanding cities linked together would be a real treat for all tourists.”
Rob Chick, chairman of the Porthcawl Twinning Association, added: “There are a whole load of differences between Porthcawl and Memphis but there is a common link – Elvis.
“It would be a huge feather in the cap for Porthcawl.”
But despite the optimism at the idea, there was a note of caution by some councillors in last week’s town council meeting concerned that the cost of the trans-Atlantic twinning could be a potential stumbling block.
Councillor John Bunker said: “Twinnings are very, very complicated to do.
“It needs people from this council to take it on board because it is not a simple or cheap process to go through.”
Coun Davies added: “I know it would cost us as individuals of Porthcawl a lot of money, so perhaps there is a way that it could be done electronically – a ‘virtual twinning’.”
Porthcawl has been twinned with St Sebastien sur Loire, near Nantes in France since 1999.
Source:
